Daily Mail Online
EXCLUSIVE: Doctors from St Louis transgender clinic told teachers to 'affirm' an entire group of fifth graders - despite fears they were being influenced by their friends
list of 3 items
• A teacher contacted staff in October 2021 with concerns about a group
• They said multiple children came out as trans after a classmate did
• The clinic is under investigation after a
bombshell whistleblower report
list end
By JEN SMITH, CHIEF REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 08:10 EST, 16 February 2023 | UPDATED: 13:11 EST, 16 February 2023
Doctors from the St. Louis gender clinic - now under investigation following bombshell whistleblower claims - advised teachers to 'affirm' an entire group of fifth graders, emails have revealed.
The Washington University Transgender Center at the St. Louis Children's Hospital was shamed last week by whistleblower Jamie Reed, a former employee who wrote a bombshell article for The Free Press describing the 'medically and morally appalling' scenario at play.
Her claims sparked two investigations - one by the Missouri AG's office, and another by the office of Senator Josh Howley.
Now, DailyMail.com can reveal the clinic's emails to a concerned elementary school teacher from Parkway Schools, a district on the outskirts of St. Louis.
The teacher contacted doctors in October 2021 seeking help when a group of fifth graders - girls aged 10 or 11 - claimed they were all transgender.
In October 2021, a concerned elementary school teacher approached the clinic asking its doctors for guidance on how to handle a group of fifth grade kids who all claimed they were trans after one of their classmates 'came out'
A staff member from the clinic replied, telling the teacher that studies which suggest social contagion are 'invalid', and that they would recommend 'as much support and discussion as possible around their gender exploration'
'I wondered if I can ask you a quick question about a situation we're experiencing at one of our elementary schools,' the teacher wrote.
'The short story is that one of the students in the 5th-grade class is coming out as Trans.
'She has told several of her friends and now several of them are also saying they are Trans.
Dr. Sarah Garwood advised: 'The best we can do is affirm, validate and allow for exploration.'
'We do not want to discourage them if this is the case, but we're also suspecting there could be other reasons they are doing this than that this is actually the case
'Is this common? Are there resources for handling this type of situation? Again, we do not want to discourage kids if this is actually the case, but we also do not want to diminish the actual experience of trans folks.'
In response, a doctor said: 'There are schools of thought that have documented this as an issue of significance, in that a student coming out as transgender, becomes a "contagion".
'This language isn't affirming and the few studies on phenomenon are, in my personal and professional opinion, invalid.'
The doctor then suggested that all of the girls were genuinely transgender, and that it simply took their friend to realize it for them to as well.
'The other end of the spectrum is that this is normal in that when one person realizes who they are and shares it, others realize they are similar.
'I believe there is a middle ground where we allow for some nuance. For younger folks and some adults too, it is easy to latch on to a new concept or idea and make it yours.'
The doctor then compared it to 'fad diets, workout types and marketing plans and even ADHD,' and appeared to admit that it was not always genuine.
'I have seen this happen with mental health diagnoses as well ("You have ADHD? Me too!")
The teacher replied, thanking the doctor for their advice, and asking for 'additional resources
The same staff member from the clinic replied, telling the teacher: 'The best we can do is affirm, validate and allow for exploration'
The St Louis Children's Hospital in Missouri, where the clinic is run. It is now under investigation
'However, it may still be a valid experience, and for some, it may be genuine exploration of gender.
'I will try to find some resources for you, after filtering through resources that may invalidate transgender folks.
'In general, I'd recommend as much support and discussion as possible around their gender exploration.'
In a follow-up email, the doctor quoted Dr. Sarah Garwood, saying: 'The best we can do is affirm, validate and allow for exploration.'
Whistleblower Jamie Reed spent four years working at the clinic. In a bombshell article for The Free Press last week, she said what is being done to kids is 'morally and medically appalling'
She also said 'no harm' would be done affirming a child who decided they were not trans.
'If in a few weeks or months, a student wants to go by their legal name and pronouns that match their sex assigned at birth, no harm was really done in affirming them before.'
Neither the teacher nor the doctor who advised them can be identified.
The emails were released as the result of a Freedom of Information request filed by Parents Defending Education.
Nicki Neily, the president and founder of the group, told DailyMail.com: 'The utter lack of curiosity about the underlying causes of such a trend among ten-year-old children by medical professionals is immoral at best and an abdication of professional responsibility at worst.
'These children and their families have been let down, both by the school and the hospital - so it's little wonder that trust in these institutions have declined precipitously over the past few years.'
The clinic is now under investigation from the Missouri Attorney General's Office, and Senator Josh Howley's office.
None of its staff members have commented on the controversy.
Jamie Reed worked at The Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children's Hospital and was responsible for patient intake between 2018 and November 2022.
In her article for The Free Press, she says she took the job with the intention of 'saving' trans kids, but that she believes what is happening amounts to 'permanent harm' on young, vulnerable children.
'The doctors I worked alongside at the Transgender Center said frequently about the treatment of our patients: “We are building the plane while we are flying it.”
'No one should be a passenger on that kind of aircraft,' she wrote.
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